South Island set for a bumper summer as forecasts show surge in tourists

The South Island's set for a mammoth summer as tourist numbers and air capacity boom. 

Aviation and tourism consulting firm ISD Partners says New Zealand's likely to see 400 thousand more overseas passengers than last summer. 

We're set to hit pre-Covid peaks early next year, with Christchurch in particular seeing a big jump in international routes. 

Tourism Holdings Limited Chief Executive Grant Webster told Mike Hosking this is shining through in summer bookings. 

He says about two-thirds of their bookings are activities starting in the South Island. 

Webster says the step is to keep the momentum up, as a lot of tourism businesses only make money four months of the year, so if we could turn that into six, we'd be utilising the tourism industry much more effectively. 

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